Sidney Crosby appeared pleased and possibly slightly embarrassed that a street in his Nova Scotia hometown might be renamed in his honour.
"I don't know," the 28-year-old Pittsburgh Penguins captain said candidly after the NHL Awards in Las Vegas Wednesday night when asked what he thought about Halifax council's vote to consider a Sidney Crosby street.
"Um, it's a compliment. Definitely something that I don't think necessarily needs to be done, but like I said it's a compliment if they feel that strongly and want to do that then that means a lot to me."
Crosby's childhood coach proposed renaming Forest Hills Parkway in suburban Cole Harbour after the Penguins won their second Stanley Cup this month, with Crosby named MVP.
The local councillor, Lorelei Nicoll, brought the idea to regional council, which voted unanimously Tuesday to ask staff to prepare a report before a vote next month.
Speaking to reporters in Las Vegas Wednesday, Crosby acknowledged the place his hometown has in his heart.
"You know, I think about Cole Harbour all the time, you know, my friends back there, and growing up there and everything that came along with that, so it's a special place to me."
Crosby also strongly hinted he will take the Stanley Cup with him to Nova Scotia, as he famously did after the Penguins won their first cup in 2009.
Back then, a military Sea King helicopter carrying Crosby and the cup landed on the flight deck of HMCS Preserver at the Halifax Dockyard. He stepped onto a wharf, the cup aloft over his head, to cheers from hundreds of fans. Thousands lined a parade route in his honour.
Asked if he'd try to top that moment with his second cup, Crosby said: "I don't know if I'm going to try.
"It was pretty special ... going up in the helicopter and bringing the cup in that way.
"I think second time around, those memories are unique and special; you don't try to repeat them necessarily, you just try to reach as many people as you can and you know, that's what I'll do for a couple days as best as I can."
Crosby is wildly popular in his hometown, where a "temporary" exhibit on him has remained open since 2008 at the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame.
According to Halifax municipal policy, a street can only be renamed for someone who is retired or has fulfilled "25 years or more of volunteer service.''
However, Coun. Gloria McCluskey told her colleagues on Tuesday Crosby qualified as an exception, despite being only three 25 years ago.
"He's such an ambassador for us, and he's such a mentor for all the kids,'' she said.
While no councillor contested the worthiness of the Pittsburgh Penguins captain, some raised concerns other worthy people were being overlooked.
"There are more than just athletes in the city. There are all kinds of individuals that are deserving of something,'' Coun. Stephen Adams said. "We should be all-inclusive and allow everybody to be considered — not just athletes, as good as they are.''
